Mark Glover's blog includes reviews of the latest motor vehicles introduced for sale in the United States, his take on various aspects of the auto industry and periodic insights on auto racing at home and abroad.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Latest-generation Avalon a wondrous ride

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo
car reviews also can be seen on the business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – via the “GALLERY: Reviews of new cars” link at
www.sacbee.com/business

Sacramento, California – I put the new, third-generation
2013 Toyota Avalon sedan through its paces in the San Francisco Bay Area and up
and down the Napa/Sonoma Wine Country.

And really, what better places to show off this peak of Toyota elegance?

On these roads, you get the full challenge – sometimes
mind-bending gridlock, sweeping stretches of interstate that let you fully
unwind the machine and twisty, tight stretches of two-lane ribbon brushing by classy
wine castles, where this Toyota looks entirely at home.

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: The Toyota Avalon
is a luxury laden Lexus sedan wearing Toyota
badging. My tester proved the point to
the max: the 2013 Toyota Avalon Limited is the cream of four trim levels.

And be advised: It’s priced that way, starting at
$39,650. Mine was dressed up with a
technology package (radar cruise control, automatic high-beam headlights and a
pre-collision protection system) that kicked up the bottom line to $42,195.

Yes, that’s truly Lexus-like. But if you can afford it, the Avalon is worth
it.

Frankly, I can’t imagine buying this car with the idea of
selling it within five years. For my
money, it’s a 10-year keeper.

Sheet metal this time around is more sporty and fluid. The roofline seems to go on forever,
providing an aerodynamic, athletic look in profile. The front end is saucy, yet elegant. The car looks like it belongs, no matter if
it’s parked at the racetrack or the country club.

On the roll, the Avalon is super-silky smooth and
quiet. The 3.5-liter V-6 performs at a
level way above the advertised 268 horsepower.
Soft hits on the accelerator produced instant response. I could have sworn I had 300 horses in hand,
not that much of that engine noise makes its way to the cockpit. I felt like I could have hosted a tea service
in the cabin and enjoyed even whispered conversations.

Safety, comfort and convenience features are numerous and
precisely what you deserve in a luxury sedan with this price. I confess that I don’t like the
radar-controlled cruise system. Too
touchy for my tastes. Thankfully, it’s
easily negated via a manual override.

For me, I put a lot of miles on this test drive, and there’s
good reason for that. I didn’t want to
part with the car. This Avalon just might
be the perfect road-trip sedan.

Sedan
fans, put it on your test-drive list as a must-drive. But be forewarned, Avalon’s charms likely
will push you into a long-term relationship.

Auto Enthusiasts

About

Mark Glover has been a professional journalist for 40 years. Since 1984, he has worked for The Sacramento Bee in California's capital city. He was the paper's auto editor from 2000-08, reviewing hundreds of motor vehicles during that time. His reviews currently appear at sacbee.com and in the Northern & Central California Cruisin' News published monthly out of Folsom, California. He is a former director on the board of the California Autombile Museum in Sacramento. A lifelong auto racing fan, Glover has attended the Indianapolis 500 since 1961. He has an extensive Indy 500 collection of programs, tickets and badges.